


Cup of Tea

by 3starsaboveamountain



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Comfort, Implied Character Death, Magnus is trying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 09:17:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12454287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3starsaboveamountain/pseuds/3starsaboveamountain
Summary: Magnus isn't what you'd consider a gentle person





	Cup of Tea

Magnus isn’t a gentle person. 

He cares deeply for his crewmates but there were always rough edges to his affection. He is young, second youngest on the ship actually. Hot-headed youth and a un-developed instinct to protect left him forever well-intentioned but careless. Rushing in before the consequences are fully understood. They were more likely to see him charge head first into a fight for them and get a punch on the arm afterward the fray than a hug or tender words from the newly minted security officer of the IPRE.  
Barry sat at the table across the gally, his back to defendable corner as he slips between the long heavy blinks of someone who is immeasurably and utterly exhausted the quick darting eye of a man ready to fight for his life, again. 

Magnus had found him a few hours ago in those strange hours before night is truly over and morning is really begun. He’s awkward at first, failing to find the right words of comfort. He doesn’t know how to handle this. There was no physical threat to best, no way he could jump in front and absorb the blow. How could he protect someone from themselves? How could he protect them from their own thoughts?

He fumbles around the kitchen but there is something different in the way he moves. Normally, he bangs around the kitchen, slamming cupboards and drawers to the point where the rest of the crew asked not to prepare anything until half of them were awake at least. This time he moves with more care than he’s ever been capable of before. Lowering down mugs from the cupboards, taking care that they don’t make a sound as he places them down on the counter, taking the kettle off before it starts to whistle and holding the handle of the refrigerator door so it closes softly. 

Magnus, for lack of ideas, is running a low running commentary of what he is doing as well as what has been going on in the ship while Barry, the twins, and Lucretia were out. Simple things. Merl tried to teach Magnus a game called Euchre but gave up halfway through the game grumbling about how the young can’t appreciate the simple things. Davenport seemed to enjoy watching them play though. Davenport gave a mini-seminar on how to tend the ship, how Magnus saw some cool birds while training on the deck and what the three of them scraped together for dinner while the twins were away. 

By the time the tea was finished, Barry looked slightly more at ease, though confused at this new behavior. Magnus brought the tea over to the table, placed one gently in front of Berry sitting down across the table from him. 

It was an odd scene. Barry was certainly not a young man and half the time it seemed like Magnus could hardly be considered more than a big kid but here they were. Magnus sitting patiently, still trying to find the best way to talk but slowly realizing that maybe works weren’t necessary. Occasionally Barry would open his mouth to say something but the words would get caught somewhere in his lungs and all he could do was force out a sigh and scrub his face with his palms as the tea sat in front of him.  
Merl found them both in the kitchen about an hour later. They were still sitting across each other in a comfortable quite, their second cups of tea nearly empty and Magnus had even managed not to burn eggs for them both. Merl joined the table and he and Magus made small talk about cards, letting Barry just be for a while until Davenport joined the table as well.

The conversation lulled and the four of them sat in silence for a moment and the weight of their loss hit them simultaneously. Magnus reached across the table and placed his hand on Barry’s and said gently,  
“We’ll see them in a couple week Bluejeans.”


End file.
